1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging device, and more particularly to an imaging device which has an image detection unit that consists of a plurality of linear imaging sensors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computer processing of digital images of engineering drawings and large two dimensional objects often requires very high resolution images over a large field-of-view. For example, digitizing of a 40".times.40" engineering drawing at 200 lines per inch would require a sensor with pixel resolution of 8000.times.8000.
However, currently available scanning cameras have a maximum resolution of 4096.times.4096. This is achieved by either a CCD area sensor (which is very expensive) or by a line sensor which is stepped unidirectionally across the image plane to give the required resolution in the other direction. This is depicted in FIG. 1.
In the imaging device shown in FIG. 1, a resolution of 4096.times.4096 is obtained by a discrete motion across an imaging plane 1, of a linear sensor 3 that has 4096 picture elements along the longitudinal direction, in 4096 steps in the direction of the arrow.
However, with such an imaging device there is a problem that it is unable to satisfy the requirement to image a large field-of-view with very high resolution, mentioned above.